GeologicAI has entered into a strategic partnership with Edge Copper (formerly Plata Latina) to advance the mining company’s recently acquired Zonia copper project in Arizona, US.
The move, which will also see GeologicAI invest in Edge Copper, is part of GeologicAI’s plans to provide its services to a select number of junior copper exploration operators to boost discovery and development.
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The company already provides services to global mining heavyweights such as BHP, Rio Tinto and AngloAmerican.
GeologicAI plans to take a multi-pronged approach to the Zonia project, a past-producing copper-oxide SX-EW heap leach operation located around 160 miles from Phoenix in Arizona’s historic Walnut Grove mining district.
Its strategy will include conducting a drill-hole spacing study to identify the most efficient spacing for inferred, indicated and measured resource categories, and drill-hole optimisation analysis to reduce drilling costs and maximise certainty within a short time frame.
GeologicAI will also carry out remote core logging and real-time scanning, reducing the need for on-site personnel and costly lab assays, while guiding geometallurgical sampling and exploration targeting.
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By GlobalDataThe company’s key offering – Resource Exploration Strategies (RXS), which integrates proprietary analytics and real-time data collection with advanced geological, resource and geometallurgical modelling – will underpin the full feasibility study.
Patrick Redmond, president of RXS at GeologicAI, described the partnership as “a natural extension of our mission to bring high-confidence, highly informed decision-making into the earliest stages of critical mineral discovery”.
Edge Copper aims to advance the Zonia project to shovel-ready status within three to four years.
“There is a growing demand for copper and a clear supply gap,” said Gil Clausen, CEO of Edge Copper. “Unlocking high-quality resources more effectively is the key – and we are excited to help make that happen. We have been successful with many opportunities over the years, but Zonia stood out particularly given the geological fundamentals and strong upside.”
Plata Latina changed its name to Edge Copper Corporation on 30 October 2025, alongside its acquisition of the Zonia copper project from World Copper.
In July, GeologicAI secured $44m (C$60.3m) in funding from companies such as Blue Earth Capital, BHP Ventures and Rio Tinto to support AI-driven discovery and development of critical minerals.
